Bread wars, spy pizza, and why your coffee bill just went up
Plancha Express edition, five things worth your attention before the next service.
This time we’re trying Plancha Express: five shorter items you can read between service and payroll. Same rule as always: no fluff, no trend theatre; just things that might change how you think about menus, margins, staff, or guest experience. Hit reply and tell us which of these you want more of (and which you never want to see again).
CEE's most heated food debate right now: why is artisanal bread so expensive?
Romanian chef and food activist Adrian Hădean opened a public debate last month with a pointed question: if Romania produces cheap wheat, why does artisanal bread cost 10 euros a kilo? He identifies two structural failures: the country exports raw grain while importing processed flour, and the state offers craft bakers almost no protection or support. Lara Schütz, an Austria-based baker and bread sommelière of Romanian origin, responded on her own Substack: wheat and flour together represent just 4 to 10 percent of a loaf's final price. The rest is processing, labour, storage, transport, and quality control. Price volatility in grain markets barely registers at the shelf. Both are making valid arguments about different things. Hădean is raising a policy question about access to food. Schütz is writing about the economics. The conversation they're edging toward but not quite having: what structural support would actually allow craft bakers to bring prices down without destroying their margins?
Operator take: If you sell bread, explain the process (time/skill), not the ingredients.